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This weekend has brought an absolute storm in the blogoland, with rumors flying of Randy coming back to face Lesnar at UFC 91, in what will almost certainly be a title match, as the first fight in a three-fight deal. This matchup, and the other rumors about Randy's return, suggest all sorts of interesting possibilities.
Scenario 1: Couture beats Lesnar
If Couture beats Lesnar, this sets up two possible matchups for Randy. First is the unification match with the winner of Nogueira/Mir. The second and more interesting matchup is the rumor of a fight with Fedor:
The long-rumored heavyweight superfight between UFC champion Randy Couture (16-8 MMA, 8-5 UFC) and WAMMA champion Fedor Emelianenko (28-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) is currently being discussed for an as-yet-unspecified date in January or February of 2009.
I suggested in a previous fanpost that the matchup would never happen. Both my own and other people's analysis has been that the UFC would never build up Fedor just so he could fight elsewhere. But the UFC has access to better numbers than any of us. Its quite possible that they have run the calculus and concluded that the UFC is now untouchable by any upstart company grabbing top fighters: the cost of the top fighters would make it impossible to build brand equity and achieve break-even before going under. I figured it would be a few more years before this would be the case, but the struggles Affliction has encountered suggest that perhaps the day is already here. If it indeed is, the UFC doesn't have to worry about Fedor going elsewhere, because he costs too much for upstart promotions to survive his paycheck.
If a Randy/Fedor fight comes to fruition, the winner of Nog/Mir might be able to fight Werdum in the meantime. Afterwards, the title could be unified, or Randy's piece of the title could be retired if Fedor wins and then leaves.
Lesnar beats the crap out of Cheick Kongo in his rebound fight.

Trying to start another winning streak and get back in the UFC Heavyweight Title picture, Gabriel Gonzaga is expected to return to the Octagon at UFC 91. Josh Hendricks (14-4, 9 straight wins) is the likely foe.

Rousimar Palhares is already talking of a UFC middleweight title fight with Anderson Silva - despite having fought only once in the organisation.
Palhares made his debut at UFC 84 in May with a slick armbar victory over Ivan Salaverry that made many sit up and take notice.
This weekend, the Brazilian finds himself facing another veteran in the shape of 39-year-old former Olympian Dan Henderson.
"He is a great fighter, and he will demand a lot of attention from me during the fight," he told the UFC website.
A win "would be a huge step in my career... it will make it easier for me to have a chance to fight for the belt".

With all of the speculation surrounding Randy Couture's potential return to the UFC, lost in the shuffle is current interim heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo (Minotauro) Noguiera.
Couture is rumoured to be making a return in November against Brock Lesnar, in the main event at UFC 91. The questions surrounding the situation are coming from all angles.
With the UFC still pronouncing that Couture is their champion even after he resigned and having never stripped him of the title, would a potential fight against Lesnar actually be a title fight? Does Lesnar already deserve a title fight in the UFC? Would this be a non-title fight and if so why?
So many questions and with a variety of angles that the UFC could steer the ship, my fingers point to Nogueira, the man who should be next for Couture if he returns to the UFC.

Steve Cofield reports that the UFC is holding a press conference tomorrow at noon PT:
After 11 months of fighting in the courts it looks like the UFC and Randy Couture have buried the hatchet. The promotion is holding a press conference on Tuesday at Noon PT to announce a new deal with the heavyweight champion.
Couture is expected to face Brock Lesnar at UFC 91 in Portland in what could be the biggest pay-per-view show in the UFC's history.
Let's cross our fingers and hope nothing falls apart. This is potentially the beginning of a very big run for the UFC and MMA in general.

As we previously reported. Randy Couture had been offered and was considering a three-fight contract with the UFC. MMARated.com then reported over the weekend that a three fight extension was on the verge of being agreed to which would see the popular UFC champion return in a fight against Brock Lesnar at UFC 91 on Nov. 15.

As a 5 foot 10 heavyweight, nothing was ever going to be easy for Jason Lambert. But as he began his pro mixed martial arts career in 2001 and started battling it out with the big boys, he found out that more often than not, he was able to not only hold his own, but win.

“[Brock needs] A lot [of preparation time]. Because Nogeuira’s very dangerous on the ground. Brock would have to outwrestle him and take him down. And be very careful that he doesn’t extend his limbs. Brock hits like a sledgehammer. He hits so hard and he’s fast. One thing we’re really working hard on is not pushing his strikes but launching strikes with crack and pop at the end. To have boxer-level hands. Also, his knees are devastating. I would not want to get kneed by Brock. His knees are huge. Heath had no idea that Brock was going to come out and throw a kick at him. As for a match with Nogueira, I have no idea what the UFC’s plans are. I know Brock has two more fights. Brock is such an incredible athlete. He could rise to the occasion. For me, he’s fun to train because he’s so ambitious. Brock is completely coach able. Some fighters I’ve worked with, you go for a week and you end up holding pads for them. With Brock, it’s, Can you teach me? Can you show me? Can you show me? It’s worth the time to go there.”
– Former mixed martial arts champion and current trainer for Brock Lesnar, Erik Paulson, shares his thoughts with MMAmemories.com

Colonial Heights, Virginia – Season seven winner of “The Ultimate Fighter” Amir Sadollah returned to his former home state of Virginia during Combat Sports Challenge 26 last night to corner several fighters from his old Richmond-based Team Combat fight team that is housed out of the Combat Sports Center.
After intermission, Sadollah was introduced to the crowd, where he received a strong hometown reception as well as some playful taunts. While addressing the audience on the microphone, Sadollah revealed that he expects his next fight for the UFC to take place at UFC 91 on Nov. 15 in Portland, Oregon.
Sadollah said he did not yet know his opponent but that he expected to receive notification from the UFC shortly.

MMA Bay is alleging there is an interview Rampage conducted with "cbs.com" where he asserts the police who arrested him in July acted unprofessionally and outside the boundries of proper police conduct:
1. Turned the heat up in the car even though he was already dehydrated
2. Phoning friends and mocking him to them while in the car with him
3. Sped up and slowed down while taking him to the station, tightening his handcuffs
4. Refusing to move his cuffs from the back to the front, leaving him squashed and uncomfortable in the car
5. Tightening his cuffs further as they escorted him into the medical facility, so much so that he lost the feeling in his wrists for three weeks
6. Escorted him through the facility with his pants below his knees, exposing his underwear

Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight Kurt Pellegrino is the midst of his own personal transition period.
After years of training and fighting out of Florida, under the eye of other people, Pellegrino has struck out on a new path, returning to his native New Jersey in hopes of rebuilding a career that has always seemingly been on the cusp of something big, but never quite breaking through.
Eager to put the memory of his most recent outing behind him, he has stepped up to face an equally difficult challenge in Thiago Tavares at the upcoming UFC 88 in Atlanta.
“I’m real excited to get my feet back in the octagon,” stated Pellegrino. “I’m looking to erase that loss (to Nate Diaz at UFC Fight Night 13 in April) with a big win over Thiago.
“That’s why I suggested this fight; was to move on and not fight a lesser opponent, but in my eyes, fight an extremely dangerous and tough fighter.”
As he puts it, having a good showing and getting back on the winning track against Tavares is imperative for his career.

“Chuck is probably the most popular fighter in the UFC. I went to see a movie (Pineapple Express) the other day to relax and clear my head for the fight and I see Chuck on the screen. You can’t escape him anywhere. He’s really popular. I’m trying to get away and think about something else, and Chuck’s beating up this black dude. I’m like damn.”

Saying Josh Burkman has been inconsistent in his UFC tenure could be an understatement. He has a 5-4 record in the Octagon, including two straight losses to Mike Swick and more recently to Dustin Hazelett. “This is a big fight for me. I’m coming off 2 losses in a row and my contract is coming up in Nov. So there is some serious pressure to win.” Burkman recently said via his MySpace blog.
Since his season 2 appearance on “The Ultimate Fighter” reality series, Burkman has become one of the more well known fighters from the show but success in the Octagon hasn’t followed.
It’s hard to complain about losing to the likes of Jon Fitch and Karo Parisyan but Burkman didn’t looked too impressive in his losses to Swick or Hazelett. To Burkman’s defense though, it could be argued that he really won the fight with Swick.
Burkman has made changes to his training for his upcoming fight with Pete Sell at UFC 90. “I’ll do the majority of my training in Las Vegas at Xtreme Courture,” Burkman continued.

The life of Quinton "Rampage" Jackson has been bizarre recently, to say the least.
Struggles in the courtroom and a parting with coach and mentor Juanito Ibarra have left the former UFC light heavyweight champion's life chaotic.
Recently Jackson announced he had inked a deal with Wolfslair management. The British-based gym is home to UFC fighters Michael Bisping and Paul Kelly, as well as several other highly regarded U.K. prospects.
Manager of the stable Anthony McGann recently spoke to MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) on the formation of Jackson's new deal.
"We have had a relationship with Quinton for a while now, so that made this arrangement possible," McGann said. "We became friends when he came over for a seminar which never happened, and he ended up staying at my house.

Undefeated light heavyweight Lyoto Machida quietly entered the Ultimate Fighting Championship in December of 2006 as an asset of the defunct World Fighting Alliance and quickly became the dark horse of his weight division. Former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz begrudgingly fought the last fight of his contract against Machida at UFC 84 in May and was sent packing by the Brazilian’s methodical attack. Casual fans finally took notice of Machida’s threat.
His methodical nature is a blessing and a curse. The UFC’s marquee division is short on undefeated contenders – everyone has a blemish on their record. But Machida’s patient, karate-infused style, along with his native Portugese tounge, has not made him an easy subject to market, or an easy fighter to book. He remains the aficionado’s choice of light heavyweights.
Machida’s next challenge is against Thiago Silva at UFC 89 on Oct. 18 in Birmingham, England. Silva, another wrecking ball of a Brazilian with Machida’s 13-0 record, has torn through all but one of his four UFC opponents with strikes. It’s a good fight for Machida, but manager Ed Soares said he expected his client to get a title shot after defeating Ortiz.

Season 8 of “The Ultimate Fighter” will be starting on Sept. 17 with Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Frank Mir as coaches. This season will feature lightweights and light heavyweights looking to become the next emerging star in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Nogueira defeated Tim Sylvia back in February to become the interim UFC heavyweight champion and has not fought since. He will take his years of wisdom and experience and implement them to the fortunate members of his team this season. Helping with the coaching duties will be some of the best in the business as UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva and top light heavyweight contender Lyoto Machida will be there to assist. “I'm sure you'll see them pop on there,” said Nogueira's manager, Ed Soares.
Nogueira has been involved in some of the most memorable match-ups in mixed martial arts history. His unbelievable victories over Bob Sapp and Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic were some of the most exciting fights ever in the sport.

The long-rumored heavyweight superfight between UFC champion Randy Couture (16-8 MMA, 8-5 UFC) and WAMMA champion Fedor Emelianenko (28-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) is currently being discussed for an as-yet-unspecified date in January or February of 2009.
Sources inside Couture's Xtreme Couture camp today informed MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) of the ongoing negotiations between the UFC and both fighters.
The fight is far from a done deal. Many of the same issues that prevented Emelianenko from signing with the UFC during previous negotiations must still be ironed out. But it appears that the UFC and representatives for both Couture and Emelianenko are working towards bringing the two legends together for a Feb. 2 bout.